Why Piggy Banks Are Essential For Teaching Monetary Responsibilty
Piggy banks have long been recognized as being a great way to introduce young children towards the concepts of monetary responsibility and independence. Their fun shapes really strike an emotional chord with kids, making saving cash a fun activity instead of the chore it generally is for adults! Also known as a penny bank or a money box, piggy banks actually appear to have an ancient history, familiar to diverse cultures the world over.
They did not seem to have taken on the now-traditional porcine shape, however, until medieval times, when, allegedly, the Middle English word for a specific kind of clay, “pygg,” which was commonly utilized to make numerous containers, became associated with the household cash box. From there, the spelling changed, until, the legend goes, we have the familiar piggy bank of these days.
Modern piggy banks are usually made of plastic, and have a hole at the bottom (namely, the belly) which is normally plugged or otherwise covered for access to the savings, commonly coins. Traditionally, piggy banks had been ceramic with only a slit for the deposit of cash, and it had been something of a rite of passage to literally break them open upon coming of age or some other similarly momentous circumstance.
Nowadays, most piggies permit much easier retrieval, some featuring removable noses for withdrawal. The most modern types even have electronic counters which keep track of savings. Several other animal shapes have also become obtainable, though the generic term “piggy bank” is typically still utilised by way of reference.
The piggy bank is so familiar these days that several financial services firms incorporate one into their advertising or even their corporate logo. Piggy banks have also become highly collectible items in themselves, with a wide variety of relatively costly makes and models that exist far more for aesthetic pleasure than to teach any lesson in thrift!